


Crash

by PrincessTurk



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Drinking, Drunken Shenanigans, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Fun, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Memories, Romance, Smoking, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-23 23:47:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20348815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessTurk/pseuds/PrincessTurk
Summary: Years after Meteorfall, Reno and Cloud begin a relationship quite suddenly. Drama ensues as the dead arise and old flames are re-lit.





	1. Declarations

**Author's Note:**

> _This fic was originally written between March 30th, 2010-August 14, 2019 with 63 chapters, and was posted onto FFnet. I have decided to do a complete rewrite of it, keeping the story basically the same, while adding to the depth of it. This rewrite will reflect how the story **should** have been in the first place. I was new to the public writing scene in 2010, so I pumped out tons of chapters quickly without giving it as much depth and attention as it deserved. "Crash" is my baby; my beloved. It's still my favorite fic to go back to. I met a lot of wonderful friends through it, two of whom are still like sisters to me. I hope you enjoy what i'll be rewriting, and I hope you come to love it as I have over the years. Thank you to those who have supported this work, and to my new readers: enjoy the crazy ride!_
> 
> ~PrincessTurk
> 
> *This story takes place years after Meteorfall. In this setting, Shinra has been rebuilt - both the company and the building - and Cloud is doing a bit of work for the company.

_It was midday on that fateful day: the day of the metaphorical crash. He would remember it forever, like the languid movements his lover made in the darkest hours of night. The way his lover's nose wrinkled when he grinned; the way the sweat dripped from his temple when he was above him, below him. He'd remember it when there was nothing and no one left but the two of them, forever etched into the sand of the Mideel beach, the ocean waves crashing over them for eternity and reflecting the stars above._

\----------

Reno screwed the lid onto his silver flask and sighed, putting it back into his desk drawer. He knew none of his work would get done that day. His mind was on too many other things.

Like fucking a certain blond.

Cloud Strife, hero of the world, royal pain in the ass. _Moody._

"You must be thinking about Cloud again," Rude said, interrupting Reno's thoughts. Reno jerked his head up at the sudden sound of his long-time partner's voice.

"What the fuck are you on about, yo?" Reno scoffed, slightly irritated at Rude's intrusion. He hadn't even noticed the man enter their office.

"I've seen the way you look at Cloud, Reno. It's pretty damned obvious that there's something going on in that head of yours," Rude said, giving Reno an eyebrow-raised look of disbelief. "But if you want to go ahead and keep denying it, go for it. It's your business. As your partner, though, I already know these kinds of things," he added.

Reno stood up from his desk chair and stepped up to Rude. "I'd watch it, yo. Those are huge claims you're makin', and you don't have shit to back it up with," he hissed.

"Hmph!" Rude exclaimed, shaking his head.

Reno waved his hand to dismiss Rude, turning on his heel and leaving the office. He let the door close behind him with a loud slam and leaned against the wall outside in the hallway. He knew he would have to eventually tell Rude that he was indeed correct: he had it bad for his longtime friend, Cloud; but it just wasn't time to let the cat out of the bag. Not even Cloud knew - at least he didn't think he did. Surely, though, Cloud had seen the looks of longing that Reno had thrown his way, no matter how discreet he had been. Maybe Cloud sensed it. Either way, if he told Rude, Elena would find out, and then it would all be over with. The whole Shinra company would be buzzing with gossip led by Elena.

Elena. That woman could talk ninety miles an hour without stopping to catch her breath. Rude obviously liked that, as he and Elena had been together for some time now. Reno was barely friends with Elena; the two just couldn't get along. Both of them were bull-headed and sarcastic, and they butted heads more often than not. Besides, Elena was prone to be a real bitch when she wanted to be - and quite flighty. The only time he enjoyed her company was when she was drunk or had her mouth shut for a lengthy amount of time.

"Reno."

He heard Tseng call for him from the main Turk office near where he was leaning against the wall. Great. More orders and fucking paperwork, he was sure. He had just come back from a mission in the destroyed Midgar, cleaning up a few nasty members of a local group that had been going around terrorizing the area. He walked into Tseng's office, his head slightly lowered, not ready to go out again. He was so tired that he was ready to beg his boss for a break.

"Have a seat, Reno," Tseng told him, motioning to a chair in front of his desk. Reno sat and crossed one leg over the other. He clasped his hands together and twiddled his thumbs. _Come out with it already,_ he thought. Patience was not his biggest virtue.

"Reno, it's come to my attention that you've been slacking off a bit. Even during your last mission, you fucked up in a huge way. That's not like you," Tseng said, cocking his head. "Maybe you should take some time off. It's been years since you've had an actual vacation. I can tell that your mind is somewhere else. I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you'd just go away for a while. We don't need your head in the clouds when something serious happens again."

"Sir, I admit that i'm tired, but I don't see where I fucked up in Midgar," Reno remarked.

"We caught a member of the Midgar group on the outskirts of town. Reno, none of them were supposed to leave alive," Tseng said. "You're getting rusty."

"Shitfuck."

Tseng sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "You see? You need a break. I'm giving Strife some time off as well. You two seem to have the same... problem."

Reno raised an eyebrow and nervously tugged at his ponytail. "I uh, I'm not so sure about Cloud, but I uh, I think I'm just... tired, yo," he told Tseng. He saw Tseng shake his head and heard him laugh softly in disbelief.

"Reno, it's obvious what's distracting you. Everyone in this company knows that you and Cloud have been giving each other the eye for years. For some reason it has escalated as of late, and it seems that neither one of you can function properly. You two need to go somewhere and get this out of your system so that you can both concentrate on your jobs once more."

This was news to Reno. Cloud had been giving him the eye? He felt his pulse quicken at the idea, and hoped that what Tseng was saying was true, though he never knew his boss to lie to him.

"Sir, you said _everyone_ knows?" Reno asked. Tseng nodded. _Oh hell._ He pictured Elena's smirking face and closed his eyes tightly with a grimace. He rubbed his forehead, feeling stress begin to boil at his temples. This was something that he didn't want anyone to know about, not yet. However, the fact that he now knew that Cloud was interested in him as well, it added a whole new dimension to everything.

"I'm sending the two of you on vacation together. I've got a helicopter waiting outside. Cissnei will take you. You have a few minutes to gather some things, and then you and Cloud will be staying together in Mideel," Tseng said.

"Sir, are you seriously playing _matchmaker_?" Reno sputtered incredulously. He shifted in his chair and threw his arms into the air. "You can't just do that!"

Tseng ignored him. "That's a direct order, Reno," he added firmly as Reno kept squirming in his chair. "Go. Get this out of your system and come back in two weeks. I've talked with Cloud. He's waiting in the helicopter already."

"...And he didn't turn the offer down?"

Tseng nodded. "Yes. Actually, he did. He was blushing and he was angry. He kept saying that he didn't appreciate my insinuating that he was, for lack of a better term, _boning for you,_ but in the end, he agreed to go."

"Well... Thanks for the vacation time," he said sarcastically. "I find it hard to believe that the company is paying for two employees to fuck their brains out, though," Reno said, his face red and his tone angry. He was secretly excited to be alone with Cloud, but at the same time he was nervous and incredibly pissed that the whole thing had been planned out in advance without the two of them knowing about it. He almost felt as if he and Cloud were being forced into something.

"I didn't say anything about _fucking,_ now did I?" Tseng said steadily, his eyes lowered at Reno.

Reno felt his heart leap into his throat. _Aw, shit!_ He hurried out of Tseng's office, leaving to the sound of Tseng's laughter rolling out into the hallway. _Let him laugh. This is embarrassing,_ Reno thought. _I can't believe I said that!_

He went to his room and was shocked to find Rude standing next to his dresser holding a suitcase. "Already packed for you, partner," Rude said proudly.

Reno marched up and stuck his finger into Rude's chest. "You put Tseng up to this, didn't you? I know you, man!" he shouted at Rude. Rude didn't reply. He looked away with a smirk. Reno heard a shuffling sound and saw Elena crawling out from under the other side of his bed, holding up a finger.

"Um, that would have been me," she said.

"_You_ told Tseng? Goddamn it, Elena! And what the fuck were you doing under my bed?" Reno shouted. Elena shrugged, and Reno noticed that she was trying to hide the fact that her suit was unbuttoned slightly. Reno gave her a disgusted look, then turned to look at Rude again. "Man, you've got your own room. Don't be using my room to screw your girl." Rude gave a small cough. Elena blushed. Reno shook his head. "I'm out of here. Just clean up when you're done. And wash the sheets. You guys make me crazy, yo. _Fuckin' nosey Turks, the whole lot of 'em..._" he mumbled, snatching his suitcase from Rude and walking toward the door.

"You're nosey, too, Reno!" Elena shouted at his back. He shot her the finger without turning around.

Reno slammed the door to his room and stomped over to the elevator that would take him to the launchpad on the roof of the Shinra building. He was getting nervous and impatient. He really wanted another drink and a smoke. "Shit," he mumbled, knowing that Rude probably didn't pack his stash. Rude was notorious about stealing Reno's pot, and he knew that he and Elena were probably getting into it at that moment. _Fuck it,_ he thought. He knew that Mideel had been booming with weed ever since the Lifestream coursed through it a few years back. He was sure to find a dealer somewhere.

As the elevator opened to the roof, he stepped out and covered one of his ears while running to the helicopter with his suitcase. Cloud was sitting in the back with a headset already on. Cissnei handed Reno a headset from her position in the pilot's seat and gave him a thumbs up. Reno tossed his suitcase in the back with Cloud and shoved the headset on while he climbed into his seat and strapped in.

"'Sup, Cloud," he said into the headset's microphone.

"Uh... hey," he heard Cloud reply softly.

"Yeah, we'll talk later," Reno said, glancing back at a blushing Cloud. Cissnei took off and headed toward Mideel at top speed.

\-----

When they reached Mideel, Reno was the first one out of the helicopter, anxious for a smoke. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket and lit one with a silver Zippo. He inhaled the smoke with his eyes closed, glad to be in Mideel. He waited for Cloud to get out and grabbed their respective suitcases, giving a short wave to Cissnei.

When the helicopter was gone and they could speak at a normal level, Reno said to Cloud, "So, uh, are you cool?" Cloud gave him a puzzled look, and Reno understood that Cloud had no idea what he was suggesting. "I mean, do you get _high,_ Strife?" he asked.

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I never have tried to, honestly," he told Reno. Reno laughed and reached over to ruffle Cloud's spiky hair. "First time for everything, yo."

Cloud grinned. It had been a long time since anyone had ruffled his hair like that. A vague, fleeting memory flashed across his mind: _Zack..._ He quickly shrugged it off as he and Reno stood to admire the Mideel scenery.

A few years back, there had been nothing but pure Lifestream flowing through Mideel. Now there was a beach with actual water coming in from the ocean, a popular tourist attraction as Costa del Sol had once been - only the temperature was a lot cooler here. They found a room in a hotel near the beach - the only room available - and, surprise: the room had been reserved by Tseng. Reno rolled his eyes.

"I find it interesting that there is only one bed in this room," Reno said after they had entered the room.

Cloud shrugged. "I'll sleep on the couch," he said.

"Whatever you want, Strife," he said to the blond. "I don't even mind sleeping on the floor."

"I'm sure that's happened quite a lot," Cloud quipped, grinning. Reno laughed, knowing that his one-drink-too-many reputation still stood. He'd always worn it with pride.

After they had unpacked, they both sat on the couch in silence for a couple of minutes, neither one of them wanting to mention why they had been sent together on vacation. Reno cleared his throat, feeling parched and thirsty suddenly. "Want to go for a drink?" he asked Cloud. "My treat."

Cloud looked up and smiled slightly. "Yeah, sure. Haven't had one in a while."

Even though it was early in the evening, there were already a lot of people in the hotel's bar - mostly tourists and loud females trying to pick up older men. One female bartender was leaning over the bar flirting with a businessman, trying to pick up extra tips. When she saw Reno and Cloud come in, she motioned to them. "Over here, guys!"

Reno waved her off in disgust and instead went to a booth in a corner where he and Cloud would have some sort of privacy. Cloud had always been soft-spoken and wasn't much on going wild, while Reno was his direct opposite. Reno enjoyed drinking and being loud, and he was quick to say whatever came to his mind at the time. He waved over a waitress and ordered a round of beers. When the waitress came back with them, he slipped her five gil and said, "Keep them coming, sweetheart," with a wink.

"You're flirting with her!" Cloud said incredulously when the waitress was out of earshot. Cloud hoped that the comment didn't come out as possessive or anything; it was merely an observation.

Reno laughed under his breath. "No, Cloud. That's just how you keep them being nice to you. I don't, uh, lean that way. But I guess you know that now."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Right. Tifa tried one too many times to get me in bed with her, and I finally had to tell her, 'Look, i'm just not into you. Or any woman. Ever.' But still, she tried," he told Reno, looking down into his glass of beer. He glanced up to watch Reno's tongue licking the foam off of his own beer. Reno didn't know it, but Cloud was turned on watching him do this. Cloud averted his eyes when Reno looked up at him, feeling his gaze.

"What?" Reno asked.

"You've... got foam on your mouth."

In hindsight, it was the most brazen thing he had ever done in his life. Time stood still. Cloud's pulse rushed like the ocean in his ears as he made the decision to make a move.

He stood up and walked over to Reno. With wide eyes and his breath catching in his throat, he bent down and ran his tongue slowly over Reno's lips, gathering the foam into his own mouth. Reno didn't hesitate for one moment and grabbed the back of Cloud's head, forcing him into a kiss. He had wanted and needed this so badly for so long. He felt Cloud's mouth open and let his tongue slide in, fully giving in to him. The kiss ended as abruptly as it had started, and Reno pulled away and let out a loud puff of air.

Cloud was blushing as he quickly went back to his seat on the other side of the booth. "I'm so sorry! I've never done anything so brash before!" he exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. He glanced over at Reno apologetically. Reno looked back at him, still in a state of shock and lust.

"Yo, there's nothing to be sorry about, Cloud. It was a little sudden, but it's not like I hated it," he said with a sly grin. Reno's face was hot and he was blushing as badly as Cloud was. "We should probably go ahead and talk about why we're here," he added.

Cloud nodded and tried to speak, his words coming out in stutters. "I... I've liked you for some time, Reno. I know you've liked me for a while as well... Or at least I figured you did, because I kept seeing you watch me through the years. I guess everyone in the company knew about it, too. Apparently they've been keeping an eye on us. Said my performance was down," he said.

"Yeah, they used that line with me, too," Reno remarked and laughed.

"Why didn't you ever just come to me?" Cloud asked, looking a bit sad.

Reno shrugged. "Because. I didn't know you felt the same. It's weird, because we've been friends a long time, yo. I didn't want to rock the boat and push your friendship away. I've been keeping it a secret from everyone, including Rude. But, it seems he knew all along, and so did you," he said with a short laugh.

They sat in silence for some time, finishing the beers they had in front of them. When the waitress came to bring more, Reno paid her in full and told her they were done for the evening. Cloud stiffened as Reno gazed over at him after the waitress left their table. He kept trying to read Reno's face, wondering what he was thinking in that moment.

"Let's go," Reno said quietly, standing up. Cloud nodded and joined him. He took Cloud by the arm and they went outside into the night. A million warning alarms were going off in Reno's head. This was too soon, too fast. _He's my friend! I don't want to lose him._ He shook the thoughts from his head and just went with his heart. _Fuck the future._ They were in the here and now. He just had to taste those soft lips again. _Had to._

He led Cloud to the side of the hotel's building and pressed him against the wall. With his hands flat against the brick wall, he began his descent on Cloud's lips with a slow, teasing kiss that deepened into something more when Cloud brazenly pressed forward against Reno and grabbed his ass. Reno groaned and left Cloud's lips, trailing down to his neck and nuzzling a sensitive spot on his clavicle that made Cloud moan softly.

"You are beautiful, Strife," Reno whispered into the blond's neck, his hot breath making the skin moist. He felt Cloud shiver and heard the sweetest words emerge from his lips:

_"No, Reno. I want to hear you say my name."_

"Mmm. _Cloud..._" Reno mumbled, nipping at Cloud's neck and tasting the man's name in his mouth - as if that was even possible. He loved the way it rolled on his tongue. He felt Cloud becoming weakened by the sound of Reno saying his name, and knew that he had hit a weak spot. His hand drifted down to Cloud's crotch, giving it a light squeeze. _Down, Turk!_ he thought - but he couldn't help it. Cloud let out a gasp and moaned again.

"Tell me how bad you want it," Reno whispered huskily into Cloud's ear, nibbling on the lobe and stroking Cloud through his pants. His other hand fumbled with his belt buckle, and Cloud could hear the metal clinking.

"Right now," Cloud demanded quietly, out of breath. "...But not here. Not like this."

Reno stopped and gave Cloud a quick kiss. "Right. Maybe later. This seems too soon, anyway. I'm sorry," Reno said.

"Please. Don't apologize. I started it," Cloud said. Reno laughed and pulled Cloud by the hand back into the hotel. When they got into their room, the mood was lost when they noticed Rude sitting on the couch waiting for them.

With a sigh, Reno bowed his head and shook it, and walked over to Rude to see what he was doing there.

"Ruuuuude, what brings you here, partner?" Reno asked with forced enthusiasm and a crooked smile. Rude glanced down at the noticeable bulge in Reno's pants, then glanced at the bulge in Cloud's pants. He gave one of his small trademark coughs and raised an eyebrow.

"I can see I've interrupted things... But it seems I forgot to pack this for you," he told Reno, holding out a small black case with a Shinra logo on it. The case was worn and well-used, and Reno knew exactly what it contained before he even grabbed it from Rude's hand.

"Oh Shiva! Thanks, Rude!" he said, opening the case and running his fingers over the soft velvet of the bag inside. He opened the small bag and glanced inside. "H-Hey! There's some missing!"

Rude coughed again. "Elena. Tseng."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Don't lie, partner," he said. Rude gave Reno a smirk and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pack of rolling papers. He handed it to Reno, who snatched it and stuffed it into the case with the bag of pot.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Reno said, smirking back at Rude. "Thanks for bringing it. Didn't really feel like hitting up one of the local sellers around here tonight. Some of them can be pretty pricey."

"I'll be going then," Rude said, giving a friendly nod to Cloud, who was sitting on the edge of the bed quietly. Reno put the case on the table and slapped Rude on the back heartily. "See you in a couple of weeks, partner." Rude nodded and left. Reno closed the door and locked it, making sure to put the 'Do Not Disturb' tag on the doorknob.

Reno flopped down into a chair and placed the black case onto the table. He opened it, removing the velvet bag and the rolling papers. "So, what's all of that?" Cloud asked curiously, walking over to get a closer look.

"This, Cloud. Oh man. This is Shinra's best. Tseng grows it himself in the lab," Reno told him, emptying the contents of the bag onto the table. Cloud's eyes lit up.

"Are you... going to smoke some?" he asked Reno nervously. Reno nodded and gave Cloud a wink. "Best way to relax, yo. You going to join?"

Cloud shrugged. "Sure, I guess," he told Reno. He noticed a devious sparkle in Reno's eyes as he set out to roll a perfect joint. "What do I have to do?" Cloud asked.

Reno laughed and noticed that his reaction had made Cloud feel like an embarrassed child. He leaned over and softly stroked Cloud's cheek. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not teasing. I'll show you," he told the blond.

Grabbing the Zippo from his suit pocket, he sparked the joint and inhaled the smoke deeply, holding it in for quite some time, then let out his breath. Cloud wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Smells funny," he said. Reno laughed and passed it to him. Cloud took it and put it to his lips, nervous and unsure of what to do.

Reno got up and walked over to Cloud. "You've got to inhale a lot and then just hold it in. That's all. Then breathe out," he told Cloud, making motions with his hand. Cloud did what he was told. His head felt swimmy, his mind was mush - all after one hit. Reno laughed at Cloud's half-lidded eyes. When Cloud suddenly grinned stupidly, he knew he'd just gotten his friend high for the first time in his life. Reno grinned back at him.

He took the joint from Cloud and had some more for himself. The two of them finished it off minutes later, both of them high as a kite and laughing stupidly at each other. Reno thought it was cute how Cloud snorted every time he laughed now; he would have to get the man high more often than not. They raided the mini fridge and pantry, gorging on dried chocobo jerky, gysahl pickles, and Funyuns.

Reno snickered. "Wonder what all people have done with Funyuns, yo?" he remarked, holding up one of the ring-shaped crisps. Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"I could think of a few things," Cloud answered with a grin.

Reno laughed and began to clean up the table, thankful that the hotel had thought to add a complimentary bowl of breath mints on their dresser. They'd taken out the entire bowl in no time. "Fuckin' Funyuns," he grinned, shaking his head. He put everything away, placing his stash case in the dresser drawer. He lit a cigarette and flopped down lazily onto the couch. He propped one leg up on the coffee table and his other leg on the couch. He closed his eyes. In his haze, he felt something touching his belt. Eyes pried open halfway, he glanced down and saw Cloud kneeling in front of him, slowly working on getting Reno's pants open. He sleepily shifted his hips to allow further and easier access to Cloud and said nothing. He just wanted to go along with whatever the blond had in mind.

Reno groaned when Cloud finally got his pants undone and felt that soft hand wrap around his hard cock. Cloud gave it a few short strokes, his blue eyes gazing into Reno's, then lowered his mouth onto it. Reno could see that Cloud was blushing. He put the cigarette in his mouth and dangled it off of his lips, placing both hands gently on the sides of Cloud's head. Out of the corner of his mouth, he mumbled encouragement.

"Ah! Fuuuuck, Cloud..." he groaned. It was by far the most erotic moment in his life, this blond going down on him, taking him by surprise. He had never had a lover, had never been with anyone. He knew it had to be the same with Cloud, for sure.

Reno was known in the Shinra company to wine and dine everyone, but what they didn't know was that he had never had sex. Not a blowjob, not a handjob, nothing. They all thought he was the Casanova of Gaia. He laughed out loud at this thought, which made Cloud stop what he was doing and look up at him.

"I'm sorry. Am I doing something wrong?" he asked Reno, his blue eyes bright and full of concern.

Reno hesitated for a moment, then told Cloud the truth. "I, um... I've never been with anyone before," he stuttered, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. Cloud's mouth dropped open in shock, then slowly recovered.

"Neither have I."

Reno chuckled. "Yeah, well, you do this like you have experience. It's... It feels fucking _great_, Cloud."

Cloud's blush became brighter, and he gave Reno a small smile. "Thanks." He lowered his head back down to Reno's cock and resumed his slow ministrations, his soft tongue exploring and his lips trailing up the shaft. Reno silently puffed on what was left of his cigarette, then leaned over and crushed it out in an ashtray. He put a hand under Cloud's chin and lifted his head up, making Cloud stop to meet his eyes.

"If you don't quit, we're both going to be cleaning up this couch."

Cloud laughed softly. Reno stood up and pulled Cloud up with him. He shucked off his pants, letting them pool on the floor at his feet and stepped out of them. "I think... that we should go over there," Reno said, motioning to the bed. Cloud took in a sharp breath, and Reno could tell he was as nervous as he was. They were both high; the beers and subsequent joint surely helped them loosen up, but Reno was still afraid. This was his friend: his desired one for many years. What if Cloud didn't want him anymore after this? He shrugged away the negative thoughts.

"Won't we get the bed dirty?" Cloud asked, with an innocent tone to his voice.

Reno laughed. "Like I give a shit. But I'd rather change the sheets than scrub the couch down."

They both sat on the edge of the bed next to each other. Reno could feel Cloud shaking nervously. He put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "We don't have to, you know."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with myself now."

Reno chuckled. "You were doing a pretty good job earlier, though," he said, nudging Cloud playfully with his elbow. Cloud blushed again. "Ya gotta remember, I've got no experience with this either, Cloud. But... I do like kissin' ya."

"So, we..." Cloud trailed off and found himself staring down at his feet, shuffling them anxiously. Despite his own nerves driving him insane, Reno reached out a hand and cupped Cloud's chin in it, turning his face towards his own. He leaned in and kissed Cloud gently, slowly. He didn't want to rush anything, especially not sex, and he knew Cloud felt the same... but Cloud leaned into the kiss eagerly, soft lips against even softer lips, drinking Reno in.

_He tastes like a good wine,_ Cloud thought. He wanted to be drunk on Reno's flavor. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand to Reno's ponytail and wound his fingers gently into the flaming red hair. Reno groaned deeply into Cloud's mouth; apparently, Cloud had found one of his weaknesses.

The kisses became deeper, more passionate. Reno began to gently push Cloud onto his back. He didn't feel Cloud protest, so he went with it. His hands began to explore as they kissed, taking a chance and slipping one hand underneath Cloud's shirt to pinch a hardened nipple. Cloud groaned and arched his back off the bed, urging Reno on. He broke their kiss and pulled his shirt off, tossing it over the side of the bed. He turned back to Reno and tugged his shirt up, helping Reno shed it. Arms encircled Cloud as Reno laid him back down. Kisses rained down on his pale skin as Reno moved above him. He didn't know if it was the weed or the experience, but Cloud felt as if he was floating.

Reno could feel Cloud's erection through the pants that he was wearing, and he stopped. His eyes locked with Cloud's: a pleading question radiated from his bright orbs, and Cloud nodded in approval. Reno closed his eyes and bowed his head. He kissed Cloud chastely on his forehead and let out a nervous sigh.

Reno moved down and helped Cloud slide out of his pants, tossing them across the room. Looking at Cloud laying there wantonly in all his glory, Reno felt something snap inside of him. Pure instinct and animal-like lust was now driving him to do what his nerves was protesting against. _Fuck it._ He stuck two fingers to Cloud's lips, and Cloud eagerly took them into his mouth and sucked on them. When he felt there was enough saliva soaking his digits, Reno removed them. He hitched Cloud's leg up and slowly began to ease one finger into Cloud's tight ass. Cloud hissed, whether from pain or pleasure, and wriggled around a little bit. Reno went with it, slowly moving his finger in and out. After a few seconds, he added a second finger. Watching his face for discomfort for a moment, he then dipped his head down and took Cloud's cock into his mouth.

Cloud was beside himself, gasping and moaning as Reno's fingers delved deeply and brushed against his prostate, sending a sweet lightning bolt of pleasure streaking up his backbone. He craned his neck to watch as Reno sucked him off eagerly, keeping in time with his fingers. It was all too much for Cloud. His senses were overloaded, and he was aching for release.

"Gaia!" he gasped loudly, cursing as he held onto Reno's shoulders. "F-fuck me, Reno... please."

Reno moaned around Cloud's cock at his lover's verbal demand to be fucked. He brought his head up and removed his fingers, taking in a shaky breath. Reno, the dedicated and decorated Turk was _fucking terrified._ His brain was in disbelief, but he had heard what Cloud wanted - and Reno knew damned well that he wanted it, too.

Cloud took a brief moment to pull back the sheets on the bed. He got underneath them, reveling in the chill on his hot skin. Reno slid in next to him.

"I'm leaving the lights on... I want to see you," Reno remarked.

Cloud honestly couldn't care less if the lights were on or off - he just wanted Reno inside of him again, whether it be fingers or... something _much_ larger.

Reno shifted in the bed and got into a kneeling position in front of Cloud. He leaned forward and tenderly kissed the blond. He could feel Cloud wrap his legs around his waist, pulling him closer to home. "I'm sorry... if I end up hurting you," Reno whispered, his head lowered in apology.

Cloud shook his head. "It's okay," he told Reno. "I'm ready. I want you."

Reno spat into his palm and slicked his cock with it, placing the crown against Cloud's tightened passage. "I can't fucking believe this is happening," Reno whispered, shakily pushing Cloud's knees up. His face looked pained as he stared down into the blond's eyes. "Goddamn it, Cloud. I... I lo..."

"What is it?" Cloud whispered. He reached a hand up and touched Reno's arm gently. The Turk shivered in response. A look of _something_ passed across his face, but Cloud couldn't tell what it was.

"It's nothing," Reno answered. He shook his head and closed his eyes, readying himself. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax his muscles, preparing for entry. A flash of pain stabbed Cloud suddenly and he gasped loudly, but the pain slowly turned into a pleasurable feeling. He opened his eyes and saw Reno above him, beautiful and glorious, holding absolutely still with his eyes closed, trying to maintain control.

"Reno, let your hair down," Cloud whispered.

Reno opened his eyes and looked down at Cloud, almost drowning in his bright blue eyes. He reached back to his ponytail and grasped the tie, pulling it down and letting his red hair flow down. No one had ever seen Reno with his hair down. Cloud sucked in a quick breath. "Reno...," he gasped, reaching up to grab a tendril of red hair between his fingers. "Oh my gods, you're beautiful, Reno."

Reno felt something coming undone inside of him, and he leaned down and slid his hand underneath Cloud's head quickly, pulling him in for a bruising kiss. He pushed himself completely inside of Cloud and began slow strokes: strokes that had them both panting in each others' mouths. Cloud trembled beneath him. Reno felt Cloud's fingers grasp his hair tightly, felt his other hand reach behind him and grab his ass, digging his nails into a firm cheek.

"Oh! Oh shit, Cloud!" Reno shouted as he felt blood being drawn. His strokes became faster, sliding his cock in and out as deeply as he could. He took one hand and grasped Cloud's leaking cock, pumping it quickly. He knew he was about to come, and he wanted Cloud to come with him. He could feel Cloud's body quickening around his cock; he knew it would not be long now, and he was right. Cloud grunted and let out a shout as he came all over Reno's hand and stomach.

"I.. I love you!" Cloud shouted.

Reno gasped. Hearing the three words that he had been unable to say himself earlier before entering his lover, he let himself tumble over the edge. He came with a muffled cry, biting gently into the thin flesh on Cloud's shoulder. As he rode the last wave of pleasure out, he let out a quick sob as he buried his head into the pillow that Cloud lay on. After aching moments, he reluctantly detached from Cloud and rolled over to get his shirt at the side of the bed. Cleaning himself off, he passed it to Cloud, who was breathless and looked like he was in shock. Reno chuckled and curled up against Cloud's heated body. Cloud dried himself off, threw the shirt to the floor, and turned over to face Reno.

"You... You love me, too?"

Reno nodded. He had not said the words himself, but Cloud had figured out his half-assed attempt from earlier. "You said it back, yo."

"I'm sorry if that was too much," Cloud said, ghosting a hand over Reno's chest. Reno kissed him full on the lips at that. He pulled away and gathered Cloud into his arms, burying a kiss into the blond spikes.

"It's never gonna be too much, Cloud. You have no idea how long I've waited for you."

"Not as long as I have," Cloud whispered. "Though, I must say... You can be quite a jerk around the office, so I don't know if I even really _want_ to be with you. I mean, really, Reno? It was just coffee!" He smirked then, remembering the not-so-friendly spat they'd had years ago about Cloud forgetting to refill the coffee pot in the Shinra building's break room. Reno had come into work hungover and in desperate need of coffee, and Cloud had drank the last cup. He was _pissed._ It was the first and only time Reno had threatened him; he'd pulled his EMR out on the blond and yelled that he was going to burn his balls off. Tseng had tried to intervene, getting jolted in the process. The Turk leader lay on the floor in a puddle of his own piss, writhing in pain. When Rude came running in, all holy hell broke loose. Accusations of attacking their boss came spewing from the bald man's mouth. Reno was sucker punched and dragged by the collar to bed. And Cloud never remade the pot of coffee. He'd taken the rest of the day off, popping Xanax to calm himself.

Reno inhaled the scent of Cloud's hair. He smelled of vanilla undertones and sex. He grinned when remembering the situation, trying to come up with a retort. "Ah, Cloud. I always imagined your hair would smell like chocobos," he said, muffling his laughter into Cloud's scalp.

Cloud began to protest, playfully shoving Reno away. Reno held tight, refusing to let go. He'd _never_ let go. It was the last thing he thought of before suddenly passing out cold, fully spent from their lovemaking. And he told himself, yes: it was making love, not sex. He was absolutely, one-hundred percent in love with Cloud. Perhaps he always had been.

Cloud was awake for a few minutes after Reno fell asleep, wondering how things had happened so fast. How had Cloud become so brave? He shook his head in disbelief. He kept thinking of how crazy it was that they had been close friends for many years, and now they were lovers.

He lay quietly against Reno, who made soft snoring sounds in his sleep. He blissfully twirled strands of Reno's hair around his finger. Cloud closed his eyes and could hear the waves crashing against the Mideel shore outside of their hotel. The sounds mimicked the crashing of his heart against his chest, so full of love and happiness.

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of what he hoped would be the future: brief flashes of Reno and two children running around their home. After all the shit they had both been through, they deserved it.

It would be a long journey before they arrived, but Cloud was ready for the ride - even if the world crashed down around them at times.


	2. Haunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _"Haunted. I'm haunted. I'll always want you. I'll always need you. I'll always love you. And I will always miss you."_ \- Poe, 'Haunted'.

Cloud woke to find himself with a leg hiked up and dangling lazily over Reno's chest, one of his hands curled possessively around a lock of long red hair. _Is this a dream?_ The light was still on over the bed, and it was still dark outside. Slowly, memories of last night began to creep into his mind. He was _definitely_ naked, and so was Reno. He grinned to himself and shifted slightly, leaning up using the arm he had been laying on. He didn't want to let go of one inch of that soft hair for a second. A clock on the wall near a window read 4:38 AM. He fell back onto the pillow and shifted again so that he was pressed against his peaceful lover. The calming still of the night lulled him into memories, and he lay there, thinking of his past.

He had once been happy. It was so long ago when he had trained at Shinra alongside his mentor and best friend, Zack Fair. Things went wrong... so very wrong. He remembered the smell and pain of excessive mako seeping through his skin, coursing through his veins, being forced into his body at an accelerated speed. He remembered being in Hojo's lab, poked and prodded like a piece of meat. Laying on the cold steel table, he could see Zack nearby on another table undergoing the same horrid treatment.

In his next memory, he could see Zack dying on that hillside. He remembered stumbling back to Midgar, haunted by memories. _Sephiroth..._ Cloud shuddered, suddenly feeling very cold. He trembled as he remembered the death of his friend Aerith. Murdering Sephiroth. Then he came back to work for Shinra after the fact. Hell, he had helped _rebuild_ Shinra and the new Midgar. Not only had he come back to catch more secret glimpses of Reno, but he had also been desperate for work of any kind after his and Tifa's delivery service bottomed out. Tifa was now holed up in the slums with her friend Johnny, soon to be married. And Cloud was... he was...

He glanced over at Reno and was surprised to see him awake, staring back at him with the same blue eyes as his.

_...Cloud was happy again._

"Hi."

Cloud startled at the sound of Reno's smooth voice. "Hi back," he said, gently smiling. Reno reached over and stroked Cloud's cheek softly.

"You didn't leave," Reno whispered in awe.

A puzzled look washed over Cloud's face. "No. Why would I?" he asked Reno, trying to search his lover's eyes for an explanation. Had Reno _wanted_ him to leave? Surely not.

Reno smiled at Cloud and snuggled in closer to him. "I dunno. This is so unlike me. A seasoned Turk shouldn't be snuggling and relaxed. We Turks are trained to be impenetrable and always on guard. Somehow... Somehow it's not reality, though. We're still human beings," he told the blond. Cloud nodded.

"Reno, there's something I've got to tell you."

Reno stiffened at the tone of Cloud's voice. He could feel Reno almost pulling away. Was Reno afraid that he was going to tell him that this had all been a mistake? Cloud averted his eyes and spoke.

"When Zack and I were in Hojo's lab, we had a lot of experiments done on us. A lot. I wanted to tell you... that if something ever seems wrong with me, please just let it pass. It always passes." Reno nodded and pulled Cloud as close as he could, laying a soft kiss to his temple.

"You'll be alright now that you're with me, Cloud. I won't let anything harm you. Not memories, not the present. Nothing. 'Sides, I know about what he did to you and Zack. It's classified information that the Turks had to know about," Reno stated. Cloud's head was spinning as Reno held him. He needed to change the subject before he spiraled much further. Thankfully, Reno had just given him an out by mentioning their relationship.

"I just can't believe this. You and me. I feel like i'm dreaming and i'm going to wake up. Why can't I feel this way forever?" Cloud said, almost breaking into a sob, but he held it back.

"Yo, we've worked together for a long, long time. We go way back, you and me. We've partied together and have hung out a lot. It's not like we're complete strangers," Reno said.

Cloud shook his head. "Yeah, but we kind of are. We really don't know the first personal clue about one another," he said.

Reno chuckled. "That's where you're wrong. I know you think too deeply sometimes, and you tend to get stuck in your head. I know your favorite food is chocobo. Sometimes you can't hold your liquor. You laugh at stupid shit. And, you have a great ass," he remarked, grinning. "By the way... you _can_ feel this way forever."

Cloud inhaled quickly and felt his pulse quicken. With trembling lips, he said, "Do you know just how long I've wanted to feel this way... with you?"

Reno lifted a hand to Cloud's face and ran his thumb across one of the blond's eyebrow. "We waited too long, baby. All these wasted years. I'm so sorry," he whispered. He kissed Cloud full on the lips as his eyes started to well up with tears. He felt absolutely full of regret in this moment, knowing they could have been together all the while. Reno pulled away suddenly and was sitting up now, looking Cloud directly into his eyes. Cloud looked horrified, as if he had done something wrong. "I just realized something. I not only love you, but I'm _in_ love with you. I'm completely in love with you. There's a difference there," Reno replied.

He heard Cloud let out a deep breath, as if he had been holding it for some time. He laughed. "Calm down, Cloud. You didn't do anything and I'm not going anywhere. It's just... damn, you're something else." He gave Cloud a lop-sided grin and Cloud grinned back, visibly relieved. The moment of relief only lasted a moment: a loud noise began pulsating through the hotel room's walls.

"What's that?" Cloud hissed, wide-eyed. He sat up, and they both cocked their heads to listen, finally recognizing the sound as music coming from the hotel's bar. Someone was getting rowdy.

Reno laughed loudly. "Karaoke."

Cloud slammed back down onto the bed and grabbed the pillow beneath his head. He shoved it over his face, stifling laughter that threatened to overtake him. "Oh gods, she sounds just awful!" They lay in bed laughing until tears came, then Reno realized that he recognized the voice.

"_Elena?_ What in hell is she doing here?"

Cloud removed the pillow from his face, revealing a red face and tear-streaked cheeks. "Right. So this proves that... she knows the words to 'Funkytown'?" Cloud said, laughing even harder.

"I didn't know Elena was into Disco music. Gods above. What's she doing here, and where the _fuck_ is Rude? Why has he let this happen?!" Reno shouted, still laughing and crying at the same time. He collapsed onto Cloud, the bed shaking and creaking with their movements. He peppered the blond with quick kisses between fits of laughter. "Get dressed. We're going in," he said with a wicked grin.

Cloud returned the grin and jumped up to grab his clothes. They got dressed as quickly as they could and took off down the hallway after Reno grabbed his cigarettes. When they got into the bar, Reno ordered a bottle of hot sake' and directed Cloud to the table closest to the Karaoke stage. Rude was already at the table, his trademark sunglasses hanging halfway off of his bald head, passed out with his head resting on a pile of broken corn chips. Reno slapped him on the back and kicked him in the ass through the back of the chair. "Yo! Partner!"

Rude jumped up, fists out in front of him, ready to fight. When he looked around and realized where he was, he sat back down and put his head into his hands, groaning. "Damn it, Reno. Why'd you have to do that?" He looked up, giving the redhead the evil eye while adjusting his sunglasses.

Reno slapped him on the back again. "The night's still young, partner. Your girl's making a fool out of herself and I've got some sake' on the way."

Rude let out a soft moan. "No. No more sake'," he said, holding his stomach.

"When have you ever turned down sake', Rude?" Reno asked him.

"Since now," Rude moaned. "I'm going back to my room," he added. "Elena!" he shouted up at the stage, waving to get her attention. Elena had just finished her horrible rendition of the Disco hit and stumbled down to him, a cigarette dangling from between her fingers that had seemed to have burned down hours ago.

"Hi, lover," she giggled, wrapping her arms around Rude's waist. "Wanna fuck backstage?"

Rude gave her a look. "Elena, get a hold of yourself. Let's go back to the room."

Elena flushed with excitement and stood back with her hand on her hip. "Oh? Are you going to give me the Turk Special?" she said huskily. Rude coughed and nudged her toward the door, shaking his head.

"See you guys later. Gonna go sleep it off," Rude said as he picked Elena up and put her over his shoulder. They left, Elena still giggling wildly and her shoes falling off onto the floor. Rude didn't stop to pick them up.

Reno rolled his eyes. "Still don't know why they're here," he mumbled to Cloud, then poured himself and Cloud some of the sake' that had arrived at their table. He toasted Cloud with his cup. "To you. To my Cloud. To new beginnings," he said. Cloud blushed and raised his own cup slightly. After finishing off the bottle in silence, they helped each other back to their room. They undressed and flopped down onto the bed, not even bothering to say goodnight to one another, and promptly passed out.

\------------------------

Cloud woke up later that morning with a shout, falling from bed with a crash. He lay on the floor in the dark, panting and trying to separate the thin line of 'just a dream' and an actual memory. Reno leaned over the bed, staring at Cloud. "Hey, yo! You alright?" he said, extending a hand to Cloud. Cloud hesitated for a moment in order to calm his nerves, then grasped Reno's hand and let him pull him back onto the bed. Cloud sat down and felt Reno's arms wrap protectively around him, felt himself sinking back into Reno, relaxing.

He had dreamed about being back in Hojo's lab. It felt way too real: He could feel himself struggling against the needles going into his body, could see Zack silently pleading with him to try to calm down. _Everything will be over soon, Cloud. Panicking will only make things worse,_ he remembered Zack telling him during training. That had been long before the lab. Long before... _Zack..._

"Had a bad dream," Cloud muttered. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Then i'll have to take your mind off of it, so ya don't get all worked up," Reno said, kissing the back of Cloud's neck.

"Mmm... Good plan," Cloud replied, turning around to kiss Reno full on the mouth. He couldn't believe how quickly his emotions had changed from being scared to wanting Reno, but he let this emotion carry him out of the darkness of the lab and into the light of the man who loved him. Kissing Reno was _much_ better than reliving his nightmares.

He lazily sucked at Reno's lower lip and seized him by the hair, plundering his mouth like there would be no tomorrow. _Who knows if there will be a tomorrow?_ Cloud thought. Here and now, he had to have him again. "My fucking gods. You are like a drug," he hissed into Reno's ear.__

_ _Reno grabbed Cloud by the shoulders and shoved him firmly into the pillow. "And you want a hit, don't you?" Reno chided seductively and nipped at Cloud's neck, drawing blood. Cloud hissed at him but did nothing to stop him._ _

_ _He let Reno make moves take him once again, nothing held back. No words exchanged, just needy moans and guided fingers. Gentle hands cupped his ass and lifted him off of the bed. He felt Reno penetrate him gently, could feel him thrusting deeply into now-familiar territory. Reno grabbed Cloud around his waist suddenly and flipped over onto his back. Cloud found himself impaled on Reno's cock, his mouth open in shock._ _

_ _"Fuck!" Cloud shouted, leaning slightly forward onto Reno's chest. "Holy Shiva's tits, Reno. How'd you do that?" He panted and sat up, grinding his hips in a circular motion. He rocked back on the tops of his feet and then forward onto his knees, gaining a rhythm that felt right. He moaned and rocked, tossing his head back._ _

_ _Reno grinned beneath him. "Turks are trained for flexibility and speed. That's day one of training. Or was it day two? Shit, maybe it was day thr--"_ _

_ _"RENO! Just shut up and fuck me!"_ _

_ _The Turk raised an eyebrow. "Jus' tryin' to answer your question, yo!" he sputtered between laughter. Cloud made a face that was a mixture of exasperation and need. "Alright, alright. I'm picking on you, baby. I'll shut up now," Reno added with a grin. He jerked his hips upward - _hard_ \- and bit his lip in concentration as he watched Cloud's face for a reaction._ _

_ _Cloud gasped at the motion, his blue eyes wide. He could feel Reno's hands gliding gently up and down his spine as he rode him, then gripping his hips in earnest. As they continued their journey into oblivion, it was as if they had entered the Lifestream itself: bright, beautiful, weightless. Here, nothing else mattered except for the look in their eyes as they came together and collapsed onto the bed drenched in sweat._ _

_ __This is not a dream,_ Cloud thought to himself. They lay together, staring into each others' eyes. Reno began humming a song from so long ago, which soon lulled Cloud into a peaceful, deep sleep._ _

_ _He didn't dream it when Reno whispered, "I love you". And his heart smiled._ _

_ _\-------------------------_ _

_ _"Mornin'," Reno said to Cloud when he woke up, surprised to see that the blond was already awake._ _

_ _Cloud shifted and snuggled closer to Reno. "A good morning it is. Well, technically it's _afternoon_ now," he laughed, feeling Reno's arm wrap smoothly around his shoulders. He held Cloud close like that for some time, not wanting the peaceful morning-after bliss to end. He knew it would have to eventually, though, when he realized that he needed to take a piss. He pulled away from Cloud, which left the blond groaning in protest._ _

_ _"I'll only be gone a minute to piss," Reno laughed._ _

_ _"I know, but I was enjoying your warmth... It's cold in here."_ _

_ _If Cloud were to be completely honest, he was only telling half the truth; the other part he didn't voice was, _'I need you'._ He didn't want to seem too clingy so fast, even though Reno seemed to be okay with the situation. Wasn't calling him "_My_ Cloud" in the bar this morning clingy enough? Cloud didn't know how to answer his own question, but he knew he didn't mind Reno calling him that. He wanted, _needed_ to belong to someone. To _Reno._ Things had happened so quickly that Cloud wasn't even sure where all of this was headed. All he knew was that they both had confessed their love to each other, and... that they were _great_ in bed together._ _

_ _He leaned back on the pillow and arched his neck a little, stealing a peek at Reno in the bathroom across from the bed. Cloud's breath caught in his throat when he saw how beautiful Reno looked: He was still completely nude, his back arched and his hips tilted slightly forward to piss. He slowly rolled his head from left to right to awaken his muscles, his long red hair hanging down in a loose ponytail and sweeping back and forth above his toned ass. The morning sunlight seemed to make his pale skin glow with a heavenly light. _An angel.__ _

_ _Reno felt Cloud's gaze on him and turned to look in his direction. Cloud averted his eyes and blushed, not wanting Reno to think that he was getting off on watching him take a piss. But, oh... the thought was there. He found his toes slightly curling at the knowledge that he had just spied on Reno during what should have been a private moment. However, he _had_ left the door open... and Reno was now standing there with a cocky grin on his face._ _

_ _"Yo, you can come watch if you want, but I'm pretty much done here."_ _

_ _Cloud shook his head furiously and buried his face into his pillow. _Gods, how embarrassing._ He groaned. Reno stumbled back to the bed and lay down, arms behind his head, sighing contentedly. "Much better," he said, oblivious to Cloud's embarrassment. "You hungry?" Cloud turned his head on the pillow and nodded, brushing off his feelings of awkwardness. "Good. I'm going to take your gorgeous ass to lunch," Reno said, giving Cloud another lopsided grin._ _

_ _"You keep talking like that, and _you'll_ be my lunch."_ _

_ _Reno snickered. "Pretty bold, aren't you?" he remarked, and moved his arms to wrap them around Cloud._ _

_ _"No. Just... infatuated."_ _

_ _"Pffft. You _love_ me," Reno nudged him with his shoulder._ _

_ _"Well, yeah, but I can be infatuated at the same time," Cloud said thoughtfully, nestling himself into the warmth he felt in Reno's arms. He buried his face into his neck and sighed with happiness._ _

_ _"Hmm. Tell me again," Reno said, his eyes closed, a contented smile on his face._ _

_ _"I love you." The words rolled off of Cloud's tongue like heaven, his hot breath tickling Reno's neck. He let out a soft sigh and kissed him where his breath had landed, making Reno murmur words he almost hadn't heard:_ _

_ _ _"I'm gonna make you mine forever."_ _ _

_ _Cloud closed his eyes. Forever? Impossible. A brazen Turk like Reno, a soft-spoken man like Cloud. Forever seemed impossible. But right now, he wanted to believe it. He felt it._ _

_ _"Reno..."_ _

_ _Cloud let Reno's name drift off into the unknown. He had just wanted to say his name aloud. Warm moist lips covered his own, and any other words that Cloud might have thought of saying were stolen for the moment. Breaking the kiss, Reno pressed his forehead against Cloud's. "I'm going to make you mine. Forever. Don't you forget that," Reno whispered. Cloud's eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back. "Don't hide from me, baby," he heard Reno whisper. "Let it out."_ _

_ _"No."_ _

_ _"It's okay. One day you will let everything out. And when it happens, I'll be here," Reno said, brushing Cloud's cheek with his thumb and leaning forward for another kiss. Cloud let himself relax into the kiss, feeling fingers drifting to his spine; a hand on his ass..._ _

_ _"Ngh, Reno... Food!" Cloud laughed, squirming._ _

_ _"Alright. We eat. Then i'm bringing you back to the room and taking a shower. After that, we can play some cards and knit sweaters," Reno chuckled deviously._ _

_ _"Yeah right!" Cloud laughed. He knew very well what Reno had in mind, and wished that his stomach growling had not come between making the afternoon much better than what it already was._ _

_ _They got dressed quietly and they walked to a small cafe not far from the hotel. Reno chose a corner booth and they sat across from one another, browsing through the menus their waitress had given them. They quickly ordered enough food to feed a small army, but that was just in their nature. Shinra employees enhanced with mako like themselves had to eat more to get their fill; had to drink more to get drunk. They healed faster and their senses were incredibly heightened._ _

_ _And sex? Cloud had just realized that recovery time between their trysts was awe-inspiring. He let out a small laugh. "Reno, Shinra made us sex gods." He explained to Reno in a hushed voice what he was thinking about as the waitress brought out their food, and Reno laughed loudly._ _

_ _"Makes me wonder if it's the same with Elena and Rude," Reno said offhandedly._ _

_ _"Gods, no wonder they're always sneaking off to hide away together," Cloud laughed._ _

_ _Reno's face suddenly went slack, as if he'd remembered something serious. He lifted his chin and gave Cloud a quick nod. "Hey, c'mere." Cloud got up and slid into the booth on Reno's side, happy to have Reno's arm around him. "Why is it that I feel like I don't want to be apart from you now, even when you're _right there_?" Reno asked, reaching for his fork with one hand, delving into a fluffy mound of mashed potatoes._ _

_ _Cloud bit into a fried chocobo strip and thought carefully. "You want to know a secret?" he replied. "I feel like... like I need you attached to me. It sounds weird to say it, but even weirder to think it."_ _

_ _Reno nodded. "Yeah, I can't explain it either. Not without soundin' like i'm obsessed or something."_ _

_ _They let the subject fade as they ate in silence, unsure of what else to say. They scarfed everything down on their plates and finished it all off with glasses of chocolate milk. Reno leaned back in the booth, patting his stuffed belly. "That was gooooood," he groaned._ _

_ _"Did you save room for dessert?" Cloud remarked, smirking. His heart fluttered when he felt Reno's fingertips lightly crawling up his leg underneath the table, to stroke Cloud through his pants._ _

_ _"Ahh, hey..."_ _

_ _"What?" Reno asked, mischievously grinning. "I can't have my lover for dessert?" He gave a gentle squeeze to Cloud's groin, sending a flush to the blond's normally pale cheeks. Cloud cleared his throat and finished his last sip of milk._ _

_ _"Check... _Please_?"_ _


End file.
